Saturday, December 31, 2016

Time to recap 2016 and then be ready to wake up in the morning to a New Year with new expectations.

εїз January I began my adventure at Iamwell.org. These ladies help me build confidence in myself and thankfulness for the body I have been given to share the journey. Hannah, the other instructors and my fellow participants aided in my understand of the strengths I have, as well as, accepting my weakness as strengths.

εїз February was a blessed short month. I began working 10 1/2 hour days that month. Beginning at 7am and ending at 6pm. I had three different jobs and blessedly at one location. That month went by very fast.

εїз March brought the addition of a son-in-law to my family. I was blessed with a three day vacation to Arcata, California to witness the wedding of my youngest daughter and her husband. Many happy returns of March 12th to Steven and Johanna.

εїз April was a rest and repair month. My son bought me a tattoo. A semicolon butterfly ~ my life is not finished yet. New Chapter.

εїз May was a big month for Ian. He graduated from the Fire Academy and I was no longer the mother of a teenager as my baby boy turned 20.

εїз June ended my school year and began 2 months of summer YMCA camp. I spent the next two months sweating in Tie Dye. Camp brings out the worse and the best in all of us. The adventure and the challenge of these 5 to 8 year olds who spend all of their school vacations with me is an experience I never imagined. I have spent the past year with some of the same kiddos every week day of the year except Three Day Holidays and two weeks in August. We laugh, we cry and most of the time we just love on each other as we grow.

εїз August I had my first vacation since summers with my grandmas in the 1970's. My sister, Elaine, and I spent a week in San Francisco.Wonderful bonding time and seeing the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of San Francisco.

But August wasn't finished yet...August 19th I became a grandma. Grammie B. (as in butterfly)

εїз September Grammie got a visit and on November 11th Grammie went to visit. We are putting off the next visit due to illness on both ends of the Sacramento Valley I-5 route, which gets shorter with each drive to and from Grammie's house.

εїз November also marked a day when I let the butterflies race in my stomach as I went out on my first date in 30 years. The first opportunity to enjoy company of a man who I can visit with and feel no expectations, regret or fear. Pleasant to converse without the wee people at my ankles.

εїз Concluding with December and yet another YMCA Camp. I've spent nearly three months this year in YMCA day-camps. My group is about 20-26 ranging in age from 5 to 8. (Some were as young as four until this last month.)

My days begin with a Stop sign, reflective vest and a crosswalk. They call me the Boulder Creek Greeter and I joke, "Then I will have your recommendation when I retire and go for a job at Walmart."

After the last child is across the street to our school and the 8:13 am bell rings I rest a few minutes and warm my toes in the YMCA office on campus. Collecting my walky-talky, coffee and lunch I head up the ramp to room 16. Room 16 is our headquarters for the Reading Literacy program where I teach 5 different age groups in Reading. Through the next 5 hours I have 30 minute reading group interspersed by a 15 minute recess and lunch recesses from 11:15 to 12:45.

At 1:25 pm my day ends answering to Room 16 and head back to the YMCA office to clock in at 1:30 pm until 6 or 6:15 pm. That last 4 hours is the most fun and the most work. My Co-worker and I have 14 to 19 Kindergartners who have been at school already for 6 and 1/2 hours. These little guys put in as long a day as we do and they need our help to hold it together, until a parent picks up and takes them home for dinner and bed. Everyday we try to do a hands on project, because I'd love to just cuddle them up and read a book. But that is not allowed in this day and age. So, they get up close and I read a story, we do a hand or footprint, we help them with a puzzle, teach them to draw a teddy bear or just listen to their imaginative stories.

My weekends are very quiet. I read, paint, knit, sew and do the usual: laundry, dishes and housework. On Sunday I sometimes worship at home or at a local church. Occasional I see my work friends and the gals I've met at Iamwell. Most of my adult interaction other than co-workers is at Trader Joe's.

I love that place.

In 2017 my goals are: to treat myself with more respect, be more spontaneous and try to spread joy where-ever I go. I'd also like to get out of my comfort zone and outside more on my off duty hours.

My motto for 2017:

εїз Most of all I hope to see more of my little Em and her best buddy Doug Jr. the Corgi

Lamentations 3:22-26

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;His mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning;great is Your faithfulness.“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in Him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,to the soul who seeks Him.It is good that one should wait quietlyfor the salvation of the Lord.

About Me

I live in far northern California where it can be 110 degrees for weeks in the summer and below freezing for weeks in the winter. Average rainfall 26 inches.
My favorite things are quietly observing what God has created. I do every kind of needle craft, water color paint, watch birds and read in my spare times.
I work 9 to 10 hours a day at my local elementary school in reading literacy and YMCA after school.